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The mayor of Úbeda highlights the reduction of the debt of the City “from 29 to about two million euros”

Jaén.- The mayor of Úbeda highlights the reduction of the negative balance of the City Council “from 29 to about two million”

The mayor of Úbeda (Jaén), the ‘popular’ José Robles, stressed that the negative balance of City Hall treasury has been reduced “from 29 million euros in 2011 to about two million euros in 2015” and added that , to follow this trend, in May will “for the first time” have a positive remnant.

With this “hopeful data” for the municipal coffers, the alderman has affirmed that it is “the best economic management of the democratic history” of the Consistory. He has said this Tuesday in a balance of the economic management of the government team so far in mandate.

In it, as reported by the City Council in a note, recalled that at the beginning of this period suppliers charged, on average, two years since they submitted their bills, the main income of the Consistory were made only with the payment of the IBI collection at the end of each year, historical debts were kept for more than 20 years and “the drawers were full of unpaid bills”, to which the “brutal rise” of the IBI approved in 2008 of one hundred percent due to the of ten percent per year.

With this scenario, upon reaching the Mayor’s Office and “fulfilling the electoral program”, the Government was “required to reduce the tax rate that the IBI sets to achieve, when the regulations have allowed it, to reduce it to all citizens. “We have not only slowed down the one hundred percent rise that the previous corporation took us, but also lower it for all citizens,” he pointed to also allude to other taxes such as the Plusvalía or different municipal taxes.

Along with this, has valued that the term of payment to suppliers has passed from two years of the previous term to 25.5 days, which means achieving competitive prices and discounts. “If we pay better, we get cheaper prices and pay less interest, which reduces costs, lowers costs and reduces debts, we are now reliable,” Robles added.

In his opinion, this policy has achieved that the City Council “is already a model of economic management and sanitation of the municipal coffers” and this in the face of the “poor economic management” of previous legislatures. To the thread, it has commented that in the year 2008 of socialist government, the City council “needed to sign policies of credit with the banks of five million Euros, of which they have been paid in interests 219,000 euros”.

That money, he added, “was thrown into the sewer” and used to pay suppliers or municipal payrolls. On the other hand, he said that in 2014, only 600,000 euros were used for this credit policy, so the interest payment has amounted to 20,000 euros.

Up to date

On the other hand, stressed that the 13 million euros paid to suppliers have meant catch up with them, “save jobs and local businesses drowned by municipal default.” As an example “bleeding”, explained that since 1997 was due to the expropriation of the lands of the North Park and, since then, the City has only paid interest, up to a total of 96 percent of the debt. That is, for every million euros, this city council has paid 960,000 euros in interest alone, a “totally untenable situation after legislature.”

The current government team agreed in this mandate with the owners the final settlement of the debt by splitting the payment and eliminating the interest at the same time, so that by the middle of 2015 it will be fully settled. A figure that reaches 1.6 million euros. “Now you pay to pay what is owed, and what is hired is paid,” said the mayor, who has “eliminated the traditional policy of previous corporations to hire and pay others.”

Therefore, he congratulated the municipal technicians for the work done and their advice, “added to the political will and the firmness of the decisions of this government team.” “This is the right direction because nowadays the people of UB can be proud that their city council is a sustainable and trustworthy administration that pays and complies with payment deadlines,” he concluded.

Green light from Brussels for government to scrap pension cuts

The final state budget will be drafted without a provision for pension cuts, given the fact that a projection of a 3.5% primary surplus in 2019 was ensured.

The Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) today approved the government’s request to scrap legislated pension, at a Brussels meeting in which Greece was represented by Alternate Finance Minister Yorgos Houliarakis.

Journalists covering the European Commission reported that the discussion at the EWG meeting concluded with no objections to Athens’ proposal or to the subsequent recommendation of creditors.

That means that the final state budget will be drafted without a provision for pension cuts, given the fact that a projection of a 3.5% primary surplus in 2019 was ensured.

The recommendation of the European Commission stated that Greece will reach its 3.5 percent of GDP primary surplus target even without the pension cuts, and none of the member states expressed any objections.

The Eurogroup will be briefed on Monday, 19 November, and will give its approval for Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos to submit a final budget without the cuts.

The implementation of the budget was particularly important in arriving at the decision. The numbers, and provisional data released a day before the EWG meeting on the execution of the budget in October, 2018, also played a role.

Greece has overreached the primary surplus targets for three consecutive fiscal years.

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Always following the provocative motto “Stinginess is Geile”, thousands of people – especially at the end of the year – are looking for low-cost motor insurance. No wonder, who wants to spend more money than unnecessary? Many brokers promise the “blue from the sky” and, conversely, not even a free workshop choice is included in the services. In the cheap car insurance test, you will find important facts before you make any mistake with significant consequences. Nobody has something to give away. Save money and still enjoy attractive benefits from AZ! Here are the facts of the cheap car insurance test!

With a change of insurance, motorists can save several hundred euros and at the same time receive even better benefits. You can also compare between the current test winners.

Stiftung Warentest has taken a closer look at a few providers

The year is approaching the end. By September at the latest, the TV and print media are full of ads with the motto: “change now”. But which providers can really convince in the cheap car insurance test? These are the winners of Stiftung Warentest Result of the finished year 2017:

Alliance with the tariff “Smart” for savings foxes

Insurance “Europe” with the tariffs “Basis” and “Comfort”

Direct insurance of the savings banks with the tariff “AutoBasis”

HDI with the “engine-based” tariff

AXA with the model “easyOnline” tariff

Baden Baden with the “Comfort” rate

Itzehoer with the cheap offer “Simple Drive”

All these tariffs are characterized in the favorable car insurance test by an unbeatable relationship between price and achievements. If you want to pay little and yet claimed numerous lines, which is with this list some interesting offers. Nevertheless, the comparison is worthwhile, because the offers vary and are constantly improved. After all, the competition does not “sleep”! Also Toyota offers a cheap insurance for motor vehicles.

Request comparison now>

That’s why you should pay attention to the cheap car insurance test!

A car insurance is much more than just a mandatory product. You want benefits for your money right? In addition, the costs play a significant role in the favorable car insurance test. The relationship between price and performance is probably the most important factor! These aspects should be kept in mind – always with regard to the cheap car insurance test:

Amount of contributions (month, quarter, year)

Services of the providers

Reputation and reputation of car insurers

Reviews and customer reviews

Go for comparisons and filter offers

always pay attention to the cheap car insurance test

” So check who ties forever, if there’s something better!”

This quote can also be derived from the cheap car insurance test. Compare and save a lot of money! Cheap car insurance can be found here.

As part of Deutsche Vermögensberatung, the Generali Group offers motor insurance in the area of ​​liability plus partial and full comprehensive cover. Stiftung Warentest primarily tests the costs of car insurers. The insurer from Munich can not necessarily convince with average prices and can not be classified in the ranks of test winners. Nevertheless, the motor vehicle insurer provides certain services that may be advantageous to the customer. You always find the best providers in the tariff test at https://kfzversicherungen-testsieger.de/ .

With a change, motorists can save a lot of money. This is shown by the current tests of Focus Money, Stiftung Warentest and Co.

The ten largest car insurers

OWNERSHIP BASIS AND COMFORT COMPARED

Insured of the Generali are among other things the liability tariffs basis and comfort at the disposal. In the course of the test, the premiums are compared with the benefits. The Stiftung Warentest has tested the conditions for a 20, 40 and 70 year old driver. Car insurance from Generali Versicherung can not achieve the best grade of “far better” than the average in any of the test categories mentioned. Only in the test category 40-year-old motorists in the liability basis is the test verdict “better than average”. The current test winners can always be found under the News section .

THE ADDITIONAL CAR INSURANCE OF THE GENERALI

Also interesting are the numerous additional modules to expand the portfolio even more. For example, the insurance of Deutsche Vermögensberatung DVAG offers the following supplementary motor insurance:

Motor vehicle protection letter for real breakdown emergency aid

Motor vehicle legal protection in legal disputes

Driver PLUS in economic consequences after an accident

Discount protection against upgrading in the claim-free class.

MeinTierPLUS to protect dogs and cats in the car

Workshop ServicePLUS for the workshop search and damage repair

Fully comprehensive premium against loss of value of the car

GAP cover for leasing cars

The additional rates have not been tested. It is worth taking a look at the helpful car insurance. The legal protection tariffs offer also services without a waiting period. Here you can find more information about Provinzial car insurance .

AUTO LIABILITY INSURANCE WITH PASSIVE LEGAL PROTECTION

With a traffic legal protection motorists protect themselves additionally. In addition to the liability insurance in the full insurance and partial coverage variants, the insurer offers insurance coverage that also unfolds its benefits with the first contribution. Thus, the insured always have a claim to the telephone legal advice in the tariff. Almost all insurance companies now offer a legal protection insurance around the car. The current test winners are also comparatively cheap and offer extensive benefits.

N24 tests the best liability insurers

1 Liability Insurance Darmstadt 83,3% 2,1 | Well

2 Gothaer 83.1% 2.1 | Well

3 VHV insurance 79.8% 2.3 | Well

4 Axa 76.0% 2.6 | satisfying

5 Allianz 75.6% 2.6 | satisfying

6 HDI 74.5% 2.7 | satisfying

7 Savings Bank Insurance 73.5% 2.8 | satisfying

8 R + V insurance 72.4% 2.8 | satisfying

9 Ergo 69.3% 3.0 | satisfying

10 Generali 65.7% 3.3 | satisfying

11 Provincial Rhineland 62.9% 3.5 | satisfying

FOCUS MONEY TESTED EXPERIENCES OF CAR SEALERS

The test experts of the journal Focus Money are testing the car tariffs and have been able to determine that the “vitality” concept was able to prevail against all protests. Thus Generali uses the driver data in the course of the motor insurance and can thus find the movement data such as braking and acceleration behavior, destination and kilometer a suitable insurance protection. The telematics box is attached to the car. Here, too, test the best car insurance and save money.

Icy temperatures put enormous strain on batteries. Does not start the car, it needs jump start with a jumper cable. But the first aid on the car is not so easy. First, you should read the instructions for the jump start in the manual of the car. This is especially true for vehicles with start-stop system as well as for hybrid cars. Often positive and negative poles are reversed if the markings on the battery are difficult to detect. Then there is a short circuit, at the terminal of the jumper cable sparks. The ADAC warns: In the worst case, the on-board electronics or the battery can be destroyed.

How to jump-start the car

If a car fails to start because of a dead battery, a second car can help. First, find out in the operating instructions of both vehicles about possible special features. Connect the red wire to the positive (+) pole of the full battery (left) and then to the positive pole of the empty battery. Make sure that they are firmly seated and that the contact surfaces are as large as possible.

Connect the black cable to the negative (-) pole of the full battery. DO NOT connect the other end to the negative pole of the dead battery. Attach the clamp to an unpainted, immovable metal part on the engine block of the vehicle that has been left. Some vehicles have special mass points, which are described in the user manual.

First start the engine of the car with the full battery and then the car with the empty battery.

In the car with the empty battery switch on the light, the rear window heater and the blower. This prevents voltage peaks from damaging the electronics when the cables are disconnected.

First remove the black cable from the minus pole of the donor vehicle – then from the breakdown vehicle.

Then also remove the red cable first from the donor vehicle, then from the breakdown vehicle. Finally, switch off the lights, the rear window heater and the blower. Then drive a longer distance with the breakdown vehicle to charge the battery.

Watch the cable for good quality

The cables should have a cross-section of at least 16 square millimeters (mm²) for petrol-engined cars and as little as 25 for diesel vehicles. DIN standard 72553 stands for good quality. Some jumper cables have circuit breakers. They prevent voltage spikes and thus electronic damage in the car. To make a weak battery fit again, you should drive more than 20 minutes quickly by car. Because a cold battery charges only slowly.

Push as jump start unsuitable

What to do if there is no jumper cable at hand? Pushing the car, works only for cars with gasoline engine. For diesel vehicles, a distance of several hundred meters may be necessary, for cars with automatic transmission pushing is even impossible. And if the battery is not the cause of the breakdown, pushing can have nasty consequences. This unburned fuel can get into the catalyst and cause damage there. Many car manufacturers point out in the manual that pushing is not a suitable jump start. In this case, a call to the roadside assistance hotline of a car club can help.

How to avoid battery breakdowns

Have the battery checked regularly and clean the contacts on the poles. At these points, so-called leakage currents can occur, which slowly discharge the battery. Even low-viscosity smooth running oils in the engine spare the battery, because they bring the engine in the cold easier momentum.

Ice scrape: This is how car windows become ice-free

If car windows are frozen in winter, the ice must be down before the ride begins. Otherwise, accidents and a fine are imminent. These tips are quick and easy.

The best tips for driving on snow and ice

Ice on the windows, snow and mud on the road: Winter makes life difficult for motorists. With these tips, you will come through the cold season well and safely.

It’s time for winter tires again

Soon the temperatures will slip near zero at night. It’s time for drivers to look after the right tires for the winter. The most important facts. more

Uber returns to Madrid with few cars and limited only to the center

On December 31, 2014, he suspended his activity in Spain due to a court ruling that prohibited him from providing services in the country.

Uber returns to operate in Madrid from this Wednesday, after fifteen months since a judge suspended throughout the national territory the activity of the American company. At ten o’clock in the morning, his new application, UberX, began to put users in contact with professional drivers , the great novelty of the service and legal shield to be able to operate.

From the company have expressed their willingness to continue expanding their activity in Spain after his return to Madrid and has recognized “have in mind” offer their services in Valencia or Barcelona.

VTC licenses, legal shield

The legal shield used by the company to return consists in operating vehicles that have VTC licenses, which allow vehicles to be rented with a driver. These permits are granted by the Community of Madrid and there are currently 1,500. These licenses are limited to one per thirty taxi drivers.

In this way, the company tries to avoid new problems with the taxi drivers, who last February already protested because the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) published a series of recommendations among which was urged to introduce greater freedom of access to the taxi market and car rental with driver (VTC).

We will report if there is any illegality in their return to the activity However, from the Madrid Taxi Federation they have already warned the company that they will report “if they see any illegality in their return to the activity”. “From the Federation we will use all the legal resources that we have at our disposal so that the Administration and the courts look after the current legality,” said Julio Sanz, spokesperson for the Federation.

Drivers who want to be part of Uber , in addition to having the VTC license, must be registered in the Social Security as self-employed or be constituted as a company; present your criminal record, the car’s technical file and the validity of the vehicle insurance. In addition, the company is responsible for choosing its drivers.

Cheaper services

The minimum price per trip, which will be paid directly on the registered card , is five euros, as if you canceled the request. The final price of the route is framed in a rate that combines time (0.10 euros per minute) and kilometers (1.20 euros).

On its website, Uber compares itself with other services and says offering its services between 30% and 40% lower than other applications and taxi drivers. They give as an example a trip from the Plaza de Cibeles to Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport (T1), while Uber costs 20 euros, with other similar applications (such as Cabify, which also works with VTC licenses) would be 25 euros and with that of taxi drivers are 30 euros.

Legal issues

The service of the previous application, UberPop, stopped working in Spain on December 31, 2014, after the owner of the Commercial Court No. 2 of Madrid processed the Madrid Taxi Association’s claim against the company for unfair competition and temporarily suspend the use of this application, urging the operators and credit cards to cut all communication.

Availability of vehicles and zones

Some users have highlighted in social networks that there were no vehicles available when they tried to use one. This is because the company does not have many authorized drivers (although Uber does not offer specific data) in front of the almost 16,000 taxi drivers who work in the capital, which can make it difficult to use the application and cause delays.

The return of @Uber_ES to Madrid has generated too much interest. It will improve, but if you are in a hurry, it does not work for you pic.twitter.com/JSgZuwxSYd

– Javier de la Oliva (@javierdelaoliva) March 30, 2016

Another disadvantage that users have highlighted is that you can not schedule the service , that is, it is not possible to reserve a car in case you know what time you will travel to the airport tomorrow and if, in front of the few drivers there are, You want to make sure of the journey. Nor can you ask for this service outside the center or airport. In areas like Usera, Carabanchel, San Blas or Hortaleza, although it is not guaranteed, you may be lucky if there is a driver in the area . They can not be ordered in more remote areas such as Leganés, Vicálvaro or Alcobendas. However, it is possible to go from the operational zones to these others, as long as the driver accepts the trip.

How does UberX work?

In order to use Uber you must be registered, you can do it through the application or on its website . In both you must enter email, password, name and surname, phone number (will not be shown) and a credit card, since the payment to Uber is automatic and the company stays 25% of each trip.

To use this service you must download the uberX application and enter the email and password. Then you must indicate where you are, where you want to go and the ID number . The application shows you the nearest available drivers (name, photo, license plate and image of the vehicle), selects which one you want and tells you the waiting time, which is usually between three and seven minutes.

The fall in prices on used cars stabilizes

The ‘mileurista’ car consolidates as the main protagonist of the market.

The average price of second-hand cars in February registered a further decline of 1.4% , placing it in the vicinity of 12,620 euros.

The figures consolidate the vehicle ‘mileurista’ as the main protagonist of the market , with a growth of 14%, given the poor economic situation and lack of liquidity, as reflected by the European Observer of prices , prepared by the vehicle platform in the AutoScout24 network .

The average age of these cars was around seven years in February The study indicates that the average age of these cars was around seven years in February, while the filming rose to exceed 96,200 kilometers average , very close therefore of the patterns attributed to the mileurista car: more than ten years or 100,000 kilometers.

Not in vain, of the 265,107 second-hand cars sold until last month, according to Ganvam, more than 46% exceeded ten years , and only 20% were below three years old, these being precisely those that benefit the most, being less devalued.

In any case, this new fall in prices in February was less pronounced than in the whole of Europe , where the decline was around 2.3% in annual terms, dragged down by the collapse of tariffs in countries like Italy (-7, 2%).

In this way, the difference between the prices of Spain and the average of the continent (13,051 euros) was reduced to only 430 euros , one of the lowest registered to date.

The report by AutoScout24 points out that the fall in prices in Spain has stabilized during the last seven months , leaving behind the sharp drops of almost two digits in the worst moments of the crisis.

The fall slows down, leaving behind the sharp declines However, the market still continues to be weighed down by the progressive deterioration of the park , a direct consequence of the fall of new sales in recent years and the rise of mileurist cars.

In this way, for prices to begin to rebound, it is necessary that before there is a change in the economic climate and credit begins to flow again , something that seems unlikely according to the forecasts that predict the entry into a new recession during the next months.

In addition to the evolution of age and average taxiing, it is also quite significant the drop in the average displacement of used cars on sale (2,065 cm3, 4.1% less), while the power remained stable around the 138 horses.

Among the types of motorization, for its part, diesel remained the most popular option (67.1%) after increasing its market share by 2.3 points, thus increasing its difference with respect to gasoline vehicles (32 , 9%).

Canary Islands and the Basque Country, the highest prices

By communities, the Canary Islands and Basque Country marked the highest average amounts at the end of last February, with 15,205 and 13,349 euros , respectively, while Extremadura (9,559 euros) and Castilla-La Mancha (11,594 euros) were the ones They presented lower prices.

Emov teaches us how to charge and fix your electric cars

There are two Emov operations centers in Madrid, one in Paseo de la Habana and the other in Doctor Esquerdo street.

The Emov team consists of about 135 people, 90 of them are responsible for the vehicles.

The first thing that is done when an unloaded car arrives is to check it and clean its interior.

PHOTOGRAPHY: We show you the Emov operations center in images.

Emov operations center in Doctor Esquerdo street, Madrid. LEIRE PÉREZ

They invaded the streets of Madrid with 500 cars since December 19, 2016. Now, six months later, Emov can boast of having more than 100,000 users. They have a fleet of 500 Citroën C-Zero 100% electric four seats with a rate of 0.19 euros per minute. A business model that inevitably compares with car2go. A company that operates in different cities in Europe and that in Madrid has a fleet of 500 Smart Fortwo at 0.21 euros per minute.

But Madrid has room for both and the figures of Emov prove it; the two companies are currently operating at 100% in the capital and everything points to the growth of both companies in the coming months. Carsharing already has its place in European cities and the awareness of the use of electric vehicles does not stop growing.

car2go did not want, for company policy, to show its loading method We know how these companies work from the outside, but many people ask themselves what their internal cycle is on a day-to-day basis. What about cars that have low battery? Who moves the cars and loads them? Where is the operational base of these companies? In 20minutos.es we got in touch with car2go and Emov to answer these questions. Emov has opened the doors to us to know his ins and outs, but car2go alleged that by company policy he could not teach us or tell us how they work. The only information that car2go gave us was the following:

“In order to support and develop a future electric mobility in the use of shared cars of flexible fleet, in car2go they decided to start with a totally new charging infrastructure, organized in recharging hubs. This unique model shows how the challenges of starting a service with a large number of electric vehicles can be solved. Many cities do not have a charging infrastructure or allow only slow charging. This new charging infrastructure based on recharging hubs allows car2go to offer a better service to its customers by increasing the availability of cars, reducing the loading time to only an hour. “

The Emov fleet

Emov has two operations centers or HUBS in Madrid, one in Paseo de la Habana and another in Doctor Esquerdo street . We have visited that of Doctor Esquerdo, located in the building of one of the largest concessionaires in Spain, that of the PSA group. To this center of operations arrive the cars with little or no battery and cars damaged or that have suffered an accident . In addition, in these two operations bases there is also a small mechanical workshop for the maintenance of the fleet of 500 vehicles of Emov.

The field workers are the people who collect and leave the cars of the Emov fleet , in total 90 operators. When an Emov car has less than 15% battery (remember that the battery capacity is 16 kWh) disappears from the map of available cars and begins the work of the field operators. In the event that the car is 0% battery, it is the crane that is responsible for taking the car to the base, which is a charge of 75 euros for the person who has left without a battery.

Leave the car without a battery is a charge of 75 euros The cycle begins in the operations center, this is where the operator takes one of the cars loaded at 100% and takes it to the point where there is an Emov that needs to be charged. The place where the Emov was without a battery is occupied by the loaded car and ready to use.

The field agent takes the other car to the nearest operation center, Paseo de la Habana or Calle Doctor Esquerdo. Once inside, the first step is to check the car inside and out . They make sure that the last person who rented it has not caused any damage and that the documentation and equipment of the vehicle are intact.

Loaded 80% in 30 minutes

Once the revision is made, the ground operator cleans the car inside , this is done each time a downloaded Emov arrives at the base of operations. The next step is to put it in the fast loading points; in case they are all occupied, they will connect to the slow charge in which the charging process can last 8 hours. The fast charging points used by Emov are CIRCUTOR ultra-fast charging stations, which can charge electric vehicles to 80% in 15-30 minutes .

Once the car is loaded, the cycle begins again, the cars that are already loaded wait in the bases of operations for the workers to take them to the street and take the place of one unloaded. On other occasions, loaded cars are placed in areas where the company believes that the demand for vehicles is high. A cycle that does not rest and works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week .

The workshops transformed cars into fake Ferraris to sell them on the black market. EFE

If you do not have the money to buy a luxury Ferrari, you may be tempted to entrust tuning experts who, for five times less than the original car, convert a Toyota or a Ford into an imitation that, by far, “I hit it completely” , although the spell is undone at close range.

What can also happen next is that the police discover the workshops in which this miraculous transformation is carried out, stop the supposed ‘tuners’ and seize the precious car. And they can still accuse you of receiving, which is what they are now analyzing.

17 Ferrari and two Aston Martin were intervened, some already finished and others in the process of transformation. This is what happened a few days ago, when the police arrested eight people for a crime against industrial property for transforming mid -range cars into Ferrari and Aston Martin thanks to its expertise with fiberglass, which they molded to achieve the desired exterior shape.

17 Ferrari and two Aston Martin were intervened, some completely finished and others in the process of transformation, in two workshops in the Valencian towns of Algemesi and Albalat dels Sorells that apparently were exclusively dedicated to this business: offering car replicas worth 200,000 euros for 40,000.

This is the first operation of its kind to be carried out in Spain, and that Spanish researchers have proof, also in Europe, as explained this week by the inspector Mónica Dopico when she showed five of the cars seized.

When the agents broke into the workshops they found several workers, some of them newly hired, who had on the table a photo of one of the Ferrari models that was the only thing that apparently served as inspiration. They also knew that they had begun to imitate the latest Ferrari model available in the market.

Transformed in just weeks

The cars that were finished, a job for which they were just a few weeks, had been sold and their owners had taken them to the workshop to repair them, since in addition to external touch-ups these vehicles needed maintenance because most are between ten and twelve years old. of antiquity.

Tunnel experts kept the original engine but changed the exterior with fiberglass Tunnel experts maintained the original engine but changed all the exterior with fiberglass, modified the internal design completely and made the logos of the prestigious brands to stick them in places corresponding.

Their main concern was the height of the vehicle, since it is the only thing they could not modify, and they had the “impudence” to ask for some official pieces from the original houses, although only exceptionally. The old ‘tuned’ cars were re-registered to hide their age.

“There is no possibility that any driver would think that he was buying a Ferrari or an Aston Martin, since the cars were sold as replicas and in the papers appear as Ford or Toyota” and they were also sold for a price five times lower than that of the originals , the inspector has asserted.

In his opinion, “people who use counterfeits simply want to pretend what they can not buy “, and from that eagerness the ones now arrested were used to keep the business, which they advertised through the internet, getting clients from different provinces.

The owners of the fake Ferrari and Aston Martin passed the ITV declaring the modifications that had been made to the vehicle, without hiding what they were.

“Circulating gives the hit completely, but not close, and an expert eye identifies the imitation perfectly,” summarized Dopico, who has shown how the ‘tuners’ even managed to imitate the roar of high-end cars.

All the detainees, seven Spaniards and one Romanian, are at liberty, although charged with an offense against industrial property , and now it is being considered whether the drivers will be charged with the offense of receiving them.

Apps for cars: problem or security solution?

They can be used to locate the car in case of theft and to drive elements of the vehicle without having to be inside.

Connectivity can also pose a security problem for cars, since it exposes them to being the target of computer attacks.

The computer system of many vehicles can already be associated with the operating system of the driver’s mobile phone, either Android or iOS (CarPlay). EFE / ARCHIVE

The Internet of things is gradually being introduced into the most mundane objects of our lives. From TVs with Internet to the geolocation of any device, the elements of everyday life are increasingly connected, and cars are no exception. Some models that are on the market already have Wi-Fi incorporated (something very demanded), in addition to applications to facilitate its management and to be able to customize the configuration of its functionalities to the user’s liking.

Currently, many well-known applications can be synchronized in vehicles to be able to take advantage of them on the fly. From listening to music on Spotify to guiding the route with Google Maps, finding a place to park with Wazy Park, refueling at a service station located by Gasolineras de España or others, on the edge of the legal in some countries, that warn about mobile radars or police controls.

Recently, Vodafone made public its acquisition of the company Cobra (now Vodafone Automotive) and the consequent absorption of its catalog of technological products for cars. Among them, elements of both software and hardware and designed not only for the final consumer , but for the manufacturers themselves, for companies with fleets of vehicles or for insurance companies. The connected car collects the big data , which allows a profile of the driver to serve both himself to know their habits and those who sell insurance: distance traveled, average speed, incidents or routes can mean savings in insurance for drivers with good behavior.

One of the great advantages of the devices and applications that are beginning to be commercialized (especially in high-end vehicles), as the company explains, is safety. Being able to locate a stolen car, allowing authorities to know where the car is in real time (information that is not provided to the owner to prevent him from going) and retrieving it before it disappears from the map is one of the novelties, beyond of uses in principle more trivial as access to email or weather forecasts from the car.

Some vehicle brands are also starting to connect their cars to the most diverse utilities. From the BMW EnLighten application, which warns the driver when the traffic light goes green, to the Volvos that can be opened and closed with the mobile, many are the cars that no longer require external devices for certain applications to work in their inside. In fact, little by little it is more common that the computer system of vehicles can be associated with the operating system of the driver’s mobile phone, whether Android or iOS (CarPlay).

Exposed to an attack

The use of applications to control cars and their various functions can be a comfort, but also involves risk. According to a hacker consulted by 20minutos.es (and who prefers to remain anonymous), any device connected to the network is “potentially vulnerable” to an attack. “It’s the same thing that happens with telephones: before, nobody could hack our old mobiles, and it was not good for anything either … Now, everyone has access to the bank from their mobile, credit card information, greedy information for a pirate “, says the computer scientist.

Although many of the applications that start to be commercialized by the car companies themselves are aimed at preventing car thefts or, at least, being able to find the vehicles when they occur, the simple fact of connecting them to the Internet puts them “in the disparagement “. The car could open from the outside, start and be available to anyone who could make a cyber attack but, according to the hacker, “is not easy at all.” “Connected cars are still not very common, so neither companies have security systems too sophisticated or the pirates have begun to study how to violate them, but soon the war will begin,” says the young computer scientist.

Pirate a car

A couple of hackers wanted to check the vulnerability of a vehicle to a possible cyber attack, so they orchestrated themselves. An article in the technological magazine Wired tells the experiment in which they took control of a Jeep Cherokee in motion and, without any interference with the driver, they handled the fan, radio stations and other functions at will.

This attack to the computer system of the off-road, realized by Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, obtained that both were made by remote control with the handling of all the elements of the Jeep. The two hackers were at home, 10 miles from the vehicle , and only asked the driver to meet a requirement for the experiment: “Whatever happens, do not panic . ” Thus, the informatics told him to go to the highway, where they would take the reins.

Little by little, the hackers got that, no matter how hard the driver insisted on stepping on the accelerator, the speed of the car did not increase at all. The car decelerated progressively, which provoked the wrath of those who were driving behind and the despair of the driver, absolutely unable to control the vehicle.